Lobby group welcomes Old Railway station plans

A north west based rail lobby group has welcomed a move by Derry City Council that could see the Old Waterside Railway Station become the hub for rail travel in the city.

Councillors unanimously backed a DUP motion to reinstate the Old Railway Station as the terminus in the city when the line reopens next year.

Lobby group Into the West say they will now be asking Translink to establish a timetable for the old building’s restoration.

In a statement the group says: “We have campaigned hard over the past two years for this fine building to be brought back into proper use. It is a precious part of the built heritage of our city. We always regarded the alternative of a new building further down the river as unnecessary and entirely inappropriate.

“In our position paper published last year, we argued the case for the Old Station as a ‘Rail Terminus Fit For A Regional Capital.’ We are delighted that councillors have come to the same view.

“We will be making urgent contact with Translink to ask for a meeting to discuss a timetable for refurbishing the Station. We must ensure that it is ready when the upgraded line is ready, so that smooth new trains can arrive in the historic Old Station during the City of Culture year.

“We have repeatedly made the point it would be a travesty if, during City of Culture, the Old Waterside Station, a unique building designed specifically to represent the character of Derry, was to be passed over as the rail terminus. Hopefully, that danger is now in the past.”